Teachers are asking me all the time what 21st Century skills looks like, and how technology should fit in to their teaching. A wonderful blog “What Ed Said” sums it up perfectly. Here is a portion of her article:
“They used to… do leaf rubbings with paper and pencil to see what leaves look like.
Now they will use an iPad magnifier app to look at leaves up close.
They used to… draw diagrams and label the parts of a plant.
Now they will choose their own species, research it themselves and create an animated slideshow of its parts.
They used to…. grow bean plants and watch them grow.
Now they will take a photo of their beans every day and create a stop motion video showing the growth process.
They used to… do experiments related to plant growth and write scientific reports for the teacher.
Now they will film their experiments and upload them to their class blogs with their reports, to enable comments from the wider community.
They used to… read about different kinds of plants that grow in other places and how they adapt to their environment.
Now they will message people around the world to send a photo of a plant that grows where they live, so that they can discuss and analyse their findings.
In each case, it is the learning that drives the technology. In each case, the students will be more engaged. In each case, the learning will be richer and deeper.”
What a great explanation, and I suggest that you not only read Edna Sackson’s article but visit her blog often.
